And finally, we come to part 11 of the 11-part series. Hooray! We saved the worst for last. Just kidding! Okay, actually that statement is backed up by the numbers. The Kamino Bounty Hunters are 7-25 all time, and were the Most Futile Franchise in 2010. Nowhere to go but up!

Kamino Bounty Hunters

Studs

What a great pick, getting D’Qwell Jackson in the fourth round.  Unfortunately, GM Jonathan Lowry got impatient and made a rash decision.  On Saturday, August 27th, 2011, at 8:58 PM, Lowry cut Tim Tebow, D’Qwell Jackson, Roy Helu, and Brian Orakpo.  I bet he wishes he had all of those players on his team now (except for Tebow of course…that guy is a joke.)

Well, D’Qwell Jackson did not go silently into the night after he was cut.  A blind bidding war ensued, and the Marshfield Pirates outbid the Fransburg (r)EvoLUtion by a single penny.  Jackson played outstanding football for $3.01 last season, and is now holding out for $18.46.  The funny thing is, had Lowry decided to keep Jackson, then his salary would have been $6.00 last season, and he would have been forced to play for $6.60 this year, as he would not have been eligible to hold out.  Man, what a bad move by Lowry.

Great Upside

I like the pick in the second round of Mason Foster.  He already contributed as a rookie, and should only get better.  And his second round salary means he’s paid like an average linebacker.  Fortunately, Lowry held onto this guy.

Unfortunately, he let go of Brian Orakpo.  Had he signed him, he would have had a holdout-proof linebacker for $3.00 in season one.  Orakpo was decently productive, and presumably will get better.

Kamino fans will continue to bemoan the fact that management passed on signing Roy Helu as well.  Helu came on strong at the end of the season, demonstrating that he can be a dual run/catch threat out of the backfield.  And now it looks like he’ll be the man in Washington.  Lowry could have had a nice starting running back for $7.50.  However, he shouldn’t feel as bad as the Sweet Home Gridiron Gang’s owner, Jesse Garcia, however.  Garcia signed Helu for $1.50, and then dropped him in week 16.

Misses

You know, the only player I can select for this category is Lee Evans.  It’s not like it was insane to draft Evans in the fifth round…he just never panned out.

It is what it Is

Drafting Matt Hasselbeck to fill in for Peyton Manning was a decent enough move.  Hasselbeck will probably relinquish the starting role to Jake Locker at some point this season, but hopefully that won’t matter since Manning is healthy again.

Getting Devin Hester in the final round isn’t too bad either.  It looks like Hester is getting pushed out of the starting role this year, but the devastating injury to another Bears/Bounty Hunters receiver, Johnny Knox, should keep Hester in the mix…enough to be a spot starter at least.

The Grade

You know what, this was actually a pretty good draft.  Unfortunately for KBH fans, most of these good draft picks play elsewhere now.  I think Lowry gets a B+ for his efforts.  And this season, the Bounty Hunters have the third pick in the draft.  With Manning playing QB and a stud selected in the first round, Kamino’s doormat days could be behind them.

© 2012, Josh Hammond. All rights reserved.